This invention relates to a height adjuster for a safety belt system.
Typically, a safety belt for a vehicle has a lap belt and a shoulder belt. The safety belt is anchored to a vehicle at three different locations around a passenger. Two anchors secure the lap belt while a third anchor, a loop, web guide or D-ring, provides a sliding support for the shoulder belt and is secured to the B-pillar of the vehicle. The web guide or D-ring (or loop) is preferably located just above the shoulder height of the passenger. Due to varying sizes of passengers, manufacturers use a device known as an adjustable turning loop assembly, or height adjuster, to adjust the height of the web guide up or down to permit for the accommodation of these differing sizes.
The adjustable turning web guide assembly is mounted to a B-pillar of the vehicle. When the assembly is unlocked, say at the touch of a button, the web guide is movable vertically to its desired position. Most of this assembly is covered by a trim panel. The button that unlocks the assembly may be part of the trim panel. Pressing this button to an actuated position such as downward or inward, unlocks a locking mechanism of the height adjuster and permits movement of the web guide from one vertical position to another.
Due to its location, the height adjuster supports the weight of the shoulder belt. In addition to this load, many safety belt systems have a seat belt retractor that tensions the safety belt to take up slack. Consequently, a passenger wishing to move the position of the web guide upward must overcome the downward force of the seat belt retractor and the weight of the seat belt. It would be desirable to facilitate the lifting of the height adjuster.
In addition, the button controlling unlocking of the lock mechanism has a spring to bias the button to a rest position, for example, a force (spring) in an upward direction, so that the button returns to its rest position following actuation. The spring is a separate component. It would be desirable to combine this button spring with other components of the height adjuster assembly.
A need therefore exists for a device that both assists a passenger in the lifting of the height adjuster assembly and returns the button of the assembly to its original position without increasing the number of components.